And The Beat Goes On ...

Its time again for voting in Georgia. Today, the runoff voters will decide who will hold office in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, plus a number of Superior Court judgeships, school board seats and other local offices. Some important information before you go to the polls:

 

Statewide Races

Georgia Supreme Court:
 
Tamela "Tammy" Adkins
Age: 47
College: Meredith College
Law school: University of Bridgeport School of Law in Connecticut
Professional: Adkins Law, a family law practice in Lawrenceville
 
David Nahmias (incumbent)
Age: 46
College: Duke University (summa cum laude)
Law school: Harvard University (magna cum laude)
Professional: Former law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia; lawyer with Hogan & Hartson in Washington; assistant U.S. attorney in Atlanta; U.S. Justice Department in Washington; U.S. attorney in Atlanta, 2004-09.


State Court of Appeals:
 
Antoinette "Toni" Davis
Age: 59
College: University of North Carolina
Law school: University of Georgia
Professional: Former staff attorney for the Georgia Supreme Court (1980-1994); private attorney, most recently for Atlanta firm Boone & Stone, specializing in trial preparation and appellate briefs.
 
Chris McFadden
Age: 53
College: Oglethorpe University
Law school: University of Georgia
Professional: Sole practitioner since 1988; co-founded and led State Bar of Georgia's Appellate Practice Section; co-authored the book "Georgia Appellate Practice"; president-elect of the Atlanta Bar Association.


Cobb County: State Court -- Division II, Post 1
Angela Brown
Jason Fincher

Both competing for the nonpartisan seat formerly held by Judge Nancy Campbell

In the general election, Brown led with 41 percent of the vote and Fincher got 32 percent.

There's A Song For Everything

Ive said it before and I will say it again, there is a song for absolutely everything. There are songs for every emotion, action and reaction possible and politics are in no way exempt from this. Over the years there have been hundreds of thousands of songs with political undertones to them and thousands with blatant political messages. Artists like Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Woodie Guthrie and bands like US, The Who and The Clash are famous for putting out numerous political pieces over the years. More recently, artists like Pink and Toby Keith and bands such as The Black Eyed Peas and The Dixie Chicks(among MANY others) have made their political opinions known through song. The first few songs that came to mind when thinking of political expression through song all differ in style and audience. They are as follows:

The Black Eyed Peas : Where Is The Love


Toby Keith: The Angry American


Pink: Dear Mr. President


The Dixie Chicks: Not Ready To Make Nice


In my opinion, the most outright political statement is Dear Mr. President by Pink. I tried to find songs from different genres of music to represent that the nature of political music exists in every form. What are your thoughts on this? Do you have a problem with political expression via song or do you appreciate it?

And The Beat Goes On ...

Jessica Colotal, the Kennesaw State University student who was arrested last March, the day after a  campus officer stopped her for blocking traffic was sentenced Monday to three days in Cobb County’s jail and almost a year probation for misdemeanor driving without a license. While this is an everyday offense in the state of Georgia, the debate Colotal has spawned is not. Colotal was stopped for impeding traffic and she told the officer she had a Mexican drivers license but could not find it. The officer gave her until the next day to produce the Mexican license.The next morning, after being unable to produce the license, Colotl was arrested, taken to jail and turned over to federal immigration officers. Colotal then spent 37 days in several immigration detention centers and was later granted a year-long deportation deferment to finish her college education at Kennesaw State University. Colotal is set to graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in French. Colotal's arrest has led to a state wide debate on illegal immigration with regards to college admission. Demonstrations, protests and political debate have occurred statewide after learning that Colotal has attended Kennesaw State University as an instate resident the past three years. Just last month the State Board of Regents voted in favor of banning illegal immigrants from attending Georgia's top public colleges starting next fall. Debate and legislation continue to appear on this issue, however the issue of illegal immigration is far from solved. How do you feel about the punishment Colotal received? Do you think it was fair or too lenient?

Obamacare Repeal an Option?

Election results are in and what a turn out for the GOP. As of this morning, Democrats hold 53 Senate seats while the GOP has 47, a Republican gain of 6. In the House, the GOP gained an astonishing 60 seats leaving Democrats with only 196 seats to the Republicans 239. GOP also picked up 23 governors races across the country Tuesday while Democrats only secured 10. In what proved to be a key turning point in the GOP, this midterm election could possibly reverse everything president Obama has done in office thus far. Ok, everything might be a stretch, but it would reverse some of the most prominent actions of the Obama Administration for sure. The GOP is already, as promised in every campaign across the nation, looking at ways to repeal the universal healthcare bill and other less controversial policies that have recently been put in place by the Obama administration. Thoughts?

Final Debate

With tomorrow being election day I thought I would devote one last post to the Georgia Governors Election. FOX 5 hosted the candidates in the Georgia governor's race for a debate on Saturday, October 30. The video is below. Please remember to get out an vote tomorrow if you have not already.

Finally, Some Answers

Recently the three candidates for Governor participated in an hour long WXIA-TV 11 Alive News forum debating some issues voters might actually care about. Using the slogan “Stop the Madness: Let’s Get to the Issues,” the forum was meant to avoid mudslinging between the candidates and tackle the issues facing Georgia. The debate will air at noon today, but from the press release we get a glimpse of the issues discussed and where the candidates stand. The following is what has come out of the forum thus far ...


Obamacare:

All three candidates said they would work to repeal the national health care overhaul as it applies to Georgia

Sunday Alcohol Sales:

Barnes and Monds said they support allowing it

Deal said “I support allowing local communities to make that judgment”

Sales Taxes on all Groceries:

Barnes and Deal said no

Monds said maybe

Authorizing Gay Marriages:

Monds said maybe

Barnes and Deal said no

Legalizing Marijuana:

Monds said he would support decriminalizing marijuana

Barnes and Deal said they would not

Obama:

All three agreed that Obama was born on U.S. soil

New Falcons Stadium (via taxpayers dollars):

Monds said he would not support using state taxpayer money to build a new stadium

Barnes said “Generally, I do not favor state tax money going there ...but there is already passed this [legislative] session a hotel-motel tax that could be levied locally that could be used for that. And I think that is appropriate.”

Deal said he supports using hotel and motel tax revenue for it

Mass Media Mix Up



The Original Picture

 A new television ad, paid for by Tim Walberg for Congress, blasts U.S. Rep Mark Schauer linking him to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the federal stimulus plan and the health care reform bill. In the last few  seconds of the ad there is a picture of Schauer standing next to Pelosi as if they are arm in arm. The problem you ask? It appears as if the picture was doctored. Schauer is the Democratic nominee seeking re-election to Michigan's 7th Congressional District.  Republican Tim Walberg, a former U.S. representative is running against Schauer and is responsible for this latest media mix up. The original photo was taken on June 10 on the balcony of the Polosi's office and it appears that four people who posed with the two lawmakers have been removed: two Michigan State University students who won the 2010 National Debate Tournament last year, their coach and debate director. In the original picture there were three people standing between Pelosi and Schauer. The Michigan group had been invited to Pelosi's office after their championship win and that is when Pelosi's office invited Schauer, also an MSU alumnus, to join in on the celebration. The head coach of the debate team (who was originally in the photo) said, "None of it was political. It was just recognizing the team," As soon as Repko saw the ad, he knew the photo had been altered. Repko said, "I thought, 'Hey, this looks familiar ...the typical person would have no idea that it was Photoshopped." Schauer's office concluded the photo was digitally altered. Spokesman Zack Pohl says, "the fact that Tim Walberg feels comfortable disrespecting MSU students is disappointing and, frankly, should be beneath a former member of Congress." Walberg's campaign of course was unable to be reached and did not return calls for comment.

Jessica Colotl Heads To Court

An issue that hits very close to home showed up on my TV this morning. Jessica Colotl, a senior Political Science major at Kennesaw State University, will appear in Cobb County court this morning asking for a jury trial in her recent on campus arrest. Colotl was pulled over by a KSU officer for impeding traffic but the when the officer discovered she was driving without a license, he took her to jail just as he would have done with any other Kennesaw State student. Upon arrival at the jail, authorities discovered Colotl is an illegal immigrant attending school here at KSU. Among the charges against her, Colotl was driving without a license, lied to arresting officers and is paying in state tuition for school. The Board of Regents has since made it more difficult for illegal immigrants to attend some of the states universities, but Colotl is being allowed to finish her senior year at KSU. I have tried to remain as neutral as possible in this particular post, but I would love to know your thoughts on this issue...

I-Team Investigation on Deal

Yet again, more news has come out regarding the ethics investigation of former Congressman Nathan Deal and whether he used government resources for his private business. This is a very informative video in which it appears that the FOX I-Team has uncovered a paper trail proving Nathan Deal's chief of staff used congressional resources to further his private business. The investigation claims these are similar to the issue that lead to an ethics investigation of Deal in Washington. Let me know what you think after you watch the investigation video.

Chilean Miners Rescue

The long anticipated rescue of the trapped miners in Chile has come to and end, at least for the first eleven miners who have been brought to safety thus far. The first and strongest man brought to the surface late last night was Florencio Avalos. Rescue workers began by bringing the strongest men up first just in case anything went wrong in the shaft at any point in the process. Chilean president Pinera was quoted last night just after Avalos appeared saying, “No one ever lost faith, no one ever compromised or gave up. We made it happen.” After learning of the first miners rescue, President Obama said, "while that rescue is far from over and difficult work remains, we pray that by God’s grace, the miners will be able to emerge safely and return to their families soon.” Let's pray that all miners are rescued safely and return to their families and friends quickly. Also, let us remember what in influential role the media played in saving the lives of these men! In a society of such negative media, this is really a story that shines!

Respect v. Westboro Baptist Church

The above video is a clip of news coverage on the Supreme Court case regarding the rights of Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas to protest military funerals. The difference in this clip and the hundreds you have probably already seen, this is from an Australian news network. If you pay attention in the very beginning, the anchor sends the story to his North American correspondent. I find this story to be riveting and expected it to receive national news coverage, but I was a bit shocked when I saw the international coverage this particular topic has garnished. I personally could not be more ashamed of the attention the Westboro Baptist Church has brought to the United States. I agree with Timothy P. Cahill of the State House News Service when he said "The men and women of the United States armed forces who have given their lives for our freedom deserve all the honor and respect we can offer,’’ Cahill goes on to state, "I hope the Supreme Court recognizes that these sideshow protests are not legitimate dissent, but a cynical attempt to infringe on the religious and privacy rights of families to grieve with dignity. The protesters can make their voices heard anywhere else under the First Amendment, but a funeral setting is inappropriate. Our laws should give families the room to mourn without excessive disruption by outside groups." I agree with free speech rights of the members of the Westboro Baptist Church, however there is a time and a place for everything and a military funeral is not the time nor the place for this hateful and disrespectful display of their freedoms (freedoms might I add that are secured for them as they sit home while the military fights for them abroad).

Shocking Comments on CNN

After our most recent in class debate on the political nature of most media outlets, I find this video from CNN both shocking and refreshing. Anchor Jack Cafferty spends just over a minute and a half quoting high ranking Democrats and comparing their promises to their actions. In what is no surprise to me, the contradictions in their words and actions leave much to be desired by the American public and obviously upset Cafferty as well. At the end of his video, he makes a very political statement calling on the American public to remember these actions come November. Are you as shocked as I was that this aired on CNN?

Long For Barnes?

The above sign currently sits in the front yard of the home of Bishop Eddie Long in Lithonia, Georgia meaning current gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes may have a not so welcome political supporter in Bishop Long. Upon further research, the former governor has known Bishop Long for more than 20 years, has had speaking engagements at his church and considers Long to be a friend. Beyond just a friendship, Bishop Long is on the finance committee for Barnes’ campaign for governor. Long actually co-hosted a fundraiser for Barnes during the primary, and has contributed $11,100 to the campaign. Before the allegations against Bishop Long arose, he was set to co-host another fundraiser for Barnes later this month. The gubernatorial candidate has since canceled the event and called the allegations against Long “troubling.” Barnes hasn’t cancelled ties with Bishop Long altogether, however, as Long still remains on Barnes’ campaign finance committee. Barnes told Channel 2 Action News, “the allegations are troubling, but there’s not been one deposition taken, not one thing. Let’s let the legal process work.” A spokesman for Long referred questions regarding the relationship between the two individuals back to Barnes’ campaign. The question now is will Barnes connection to Bishop Long have any impact on his political campaign?

Not Sure What To Think ...

This just in from the New York Times: Obama and Congress apparently DON’T have a problem with the Patriot Act and Bush policies that make it easier to catch suspected terrorists. Despite their continuous Bush bashing about how the laws set in place to protect our freedom and safety violate our rights to privacy, the Obama administration would like to extend those laws to include every form of communication known to man. No longer will your phones be the only place the US government can listen in. If Congress has any say they will soon be able to follow your every move on facebook, twitter, skype, mobile phone communication including texts, etc. Top Obama and FBI officials argue that their ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects is “going dark” because people are increasingly communicating online instead of by telephone. Back to the Bush bashing previously done by the Obama administration with regards to civilian privacy being violated for the government’s overprotective surveillance. In the United States, phone and broadband networks have been required to have interception capabilities since 1994 when the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act was passed WAY before the Bush era. Interesting how the Obama administration now backs something they were once so very critical of. I cant wait to see how this unfolds in the coming weeks. Thoughts?

GA Pastor Fighting Sex Allegations

I’m sure this will not be the first time you have heard the name Bishop Eddie Long. Bishop Long is pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia and is being accused of alleged sexual misconduct against 4 different men. Bishop Long made a speech last night to a congregation of more than 3,000. While Bishop Long never denied the allegations, he did state, “I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man. But I am not the man that’s being portrayed on the television. That’s not me. That is not me.” He went on to state in one of his two twenty minute sermons that, “I feel like David against Goliath, but I’ve got five rocks and I haven’t thrown one of them yet.” Interestingly enough, unlike the lifestyles of most Pastors, between the years 1997 and 2000 Bishop Long is reported to have received over $3.07 million in salary and benefits, including his $1.4 million mansion and a $350,000 Bentley that he still drives. This will be a story that will be at the forefront of the news for quite some time, I am sure and it will be very interesting to see how it continues to develop as more information is uncovered and more facts are brought to light. My question to you is how do you feel about the financial aspect of the pastors life being related to this story? Is the media focusing on something that does not relate?

Is Barnes Walking Down Easy Street?

The above is the September 21st cartoon by Mike Luckovich on the Georgia governor’s race and it is pretty self explanatory! With Nathan Deal facing major financial problems, candidate Roy Barnes is picking up speed heading into the November elections. An article in today's Marietta Daily Journal claims that Deal's financial woes are recasting the race all together. How interesting that what began as a tight and heated race has now become more and more one sided. Despite the recent revelations in Deal's personal financial situation, Georgia voters are still eager to hear what the candidate has to say. Has Nathan Deals personal financial problems eliminated his chance at being our next Governor? Is Roy Barnes in the clear for a victory?

We're Broke, So Whats Another $814 Billion Right?

You're going to have to excuse my early morning rant, but ladies and gents I can't just let this one slide past us. We are currently in one of the worse financial era's in the history of our country, the governments is spending more and more money daily and the unemployment rate is still on the rise. But hold on to your seat because the government has a plan! Yes, that's right they know how to fix this! The solution you ask? Well that would be ANOTHER stimulus package, this one with a price tag of $814 billion dollars. That should do the trick, just like the last one, right? After all it will build a highway in Ohio and a factory in Michigan, all of our worries should now just fade away. Am I the only one who sees a HUGE issue with ANOTHER plan that will cost American tax payers another almost TRILLION dollars that we DONT have. The National debt is currently 13,504,723,630,204, so whats another trillion right?  The estimated population of the United States is 309,129,322 so each citizen's share of this debt is $43,686.32. The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $4.15 billion per day since September of 2007. Check this out and let me know what you think. Oh, also in the news this morning, the poverty rate has hit a 15 year high. You can check that story out here if you would like, but honestly I don't have it in me at the moment to even begin to explain that one...

Slow Down, Its Not a Child

Lets talk about what a terrible idea this is. You can go here to see the original story on this optical illusion on a rural street in Canada, but the basic idea behind this is that people driving will see the little girl, think she is real and slow down before they realize she is just painted on the road. The very first thing that comes to mind for me is, wonderful it MIGHT work one time and then people wont pay any attention to it. Furthermore, when driving along some other road, after having passed something like this, someone might think they are coming up on another illusion, not slow down and actually hit a REAL child. The elderly, those who may not have sharp vision, those driving in the rain or at night all subject to falling into this category. I would love to know who came up with this idea, what city official(s) backed it and how other people feel about this?

Tax Wars In Georgia Governor's Race

Labor Day weekend only provided a short rest for Georgia voters as new ads return today from candidates on both sides of the Governor's race. After Democratic candidate Roy Barnes released his tax returns from 1984-2009, he challenged his opponent Nathan Deal to do the same. Soon after, Republican candidate Nathan Deal released his tax returns from 1981-2009.
Along with the release of his tax records, Deal challenged Barnes to release some information he feels the public needs to see. Deal called on Barnes to release 1. In the past eight years, how many cases has he or his firm tried in front of judges whom he appointed to the bench? 2. How much money did Barnes or his firm earn in those cases?
Barnes campaign has yet to acknowledge deals request, but does claims that the information released from the Deal campaign with regards to taxes is insufficient and not the complete picture. The add at the top of the post is the most recent of Barnes TV ad's attacking Deal's congressional investigation. Thoughts on how this race may heat up even further in the near future?

Let's Talk Interviews

So after watching the two different videos in last weeks lecture, I spent some time looking at interviews gone bad and I think this more than qualifies as one of those interviews. I'm not sure which of the two irks me more to be perfectly honest with you. He begins the interview with the wrong attitude, although I'm not overly fond of her attitude to start with either and it pretty much goes down hill from there. Between talking over each other and off subject, there isn't a single question that actually gets answered, all we really see is an argument. At the end of the video the reporter completely loses the little patience she has and cuts the feed to the guests microphone. Talk about cutting someone off, literally. Now I think its time to debate, professional or proactive?

A Single Conviction with Multiple Mistakes

h

Tonight a clearly confused and tired federal jury convicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on only one of 24 corruption counts brought against him. The one conviction, not surprisingly at this point, came on one of the least serious charges of lying to federal agents. Ironically, this is the same felony that put Martha Stewart behind bars a few years ago. The jury deadlocked on the other 23 counts including the most publicized and controversial matter of whether or not he tried to sell the Senate seat of President Obama. Blagojevich could have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of some of the more serious charges, but alas he wasnt. Prosecutors say they will retry the case but if they plan to do so, they need to spend some serious time reevaluating their approach because the next round is on the American taxpayers dime. How do you feel about that?

Let The Games Begin

Hey Guys -

Just to make things a bit easier for those of you trying to find all of the blogs and twitters so that we can all follow each other, I thought I would post my twitter address here:

http://twitter.com/haleynicole88

Hope you're able to find everyone and have a great first week back at school!

Haley